Gallery and museum hopping in the Bosch doesn’t just mean spending your days indoors. Art and culture in Stellenbosch is found everywhere – from tranquil gardens to stunning and thought-provoking pieces dotted on the historic streets. Stellenbosch is a thriving living history and culture museum, with art on the street corners themselves!
What better time to celebrate our diversity of art and culture.
Here are our top art and cultural recommendations.
Museums
Rupert Museum
The Rupert Museum is home to a superb collection of Modern South African art collected from 1940 to early 2000s by the late Dr Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte Rupert. The museum also manages the Rembrandt van Rijn collection of more contemporary South African art and the Huberte Goote collection, featuring Modern French tapestries and Italian paintings and sculpture. The MakerStudio and event lawn, active library and vibrant Museum Café are open for all to enjoy.
Opening times: Tuesday to Friday from 10h00 – 17h00
Contact: Tel: 021 888 3344 | Email: tatum@rupertmuseum.org
Where to find it: Stellentia Rd, Stellenbosch
More info: www.rupertmuseum.org
Stellenbosch Museum
The Stellenbosch Museum offers visitors a glimpse into the rich history and cultural heritage of the City of Oaks at the Village Museum, the Toy and Miniature Museum, and the VOC Kruithuis. At the Village Museum guests are transported into the past by a walking tour of four restored period homes dating between 1709 and 1850, each with a guide in period costume.
Opening times: Monday to Saturday from 09h00 – 17h00
Contact: Tel: 021 887 2937 | Email: villagemuseum@stelmus.co.za
Where to find it: 37 Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch
More info: www.stelmus.co.za
Glenelly Glass Museum
May de Lencquesaing’s spectacular glass collection housed in the winery is one of the largest privately-owned collections in the world. The exhibits range from the 1st and 2nd Century to modern classics, including pieces by Salvador Dali and Lino Tagliapietra.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday from 10h00 – 17h00 and Sundays from 10h00 – 15h00
Contact: Tel: 021 809 6440 | Email: info@glenelly.co.za
Where to find it: Glenelly Estate, Ida’s Valley, Lelie St, Stellenbosch
More info: www.glenellyestate.com/the-glass-museum
Stellenbosch Miniature Toy Museum
The Toy Museum in Stellenbosch is a world of enchantment you must not miss.
The museum houses a collection of 1:12 scale miniatures, room boxes, antique dolls, dinky cars, cuddly toys and others! An extremely detailed and lifelike miniature of South Africa ‘s famous Blue train – the only one of its kind in Africa, is on show, the train travels from a miniature Stellenbosch, through the Cape Winelands and the mountains to the Karoo where it passes Matjiesfontein before it returns back to Stellenbosch.
Opening times: Monday to Friday from 09h00 – 16h30 and Saturday & Public Holidays from 09h00 – 14h00
Contact: Tel: 021 887 2937 | Email: toysmuseum@stelmus.co.za
Where to find it: Market Street, Stellenbosch (Behind Visitors’ Bureau)
More info: www.stelmus.co.za/miniature-toy-museum/
Worth the visit
Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden
Located between two worlds, one wild and one tamed, the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden borders the manicured suburbs of Stellenbosch and a rugged mountain wilderness where leopard still roam. In this garden of private myth, the artist explores the Jungian notion of ‘the wilderness within’. More than 60 sculptures constituting a comprehensive record of his artistic development thus far have been carefully sited along 4 km of paths.
Opening times: Visits to the Dylan Lewis Studio and Sculpture Garden are by appointment only. To make a booking request, please use the enquiry form here (https://dylanlewis.com/garden/visit-the-garden)
Contact: Tel: 021 880 0054 | Email: reservations@dylanart.co.za
Where to find it: Dylan Lewis Studio and Sculpture Garden, Mulberry Farm, Paradyskloof Road, Stellenbosch
More info: www.dylanlewis.com/garden
Winelands Art: Sips and Sights tour
Join us for a lovely day in and around Stellenbosch, to explore and celebrate nature, wine, food, beauty and creativity! This day tour gives visitors the opportunity to explore a few of the scenic wine farms around Stellenbosch, taste extraordinary wines and discover firsthand the best spots for a day of culture and beauty. This includes art collections in art galleries, museums, sculpture gardens and art studios, with the opportunity to meet some of the artists face to face. A relaxing lunch with spectacular views is included, as well as arrival coffee wine tastings, safe transport and informed art curators.
Opening times: Bookings need to be made 7 days in advance and can be made via email or phone
Contact: Tel: 083 227 7501 | Email: leone.pitts@gmail.com
Where to find it: 15 Mountainview Street, Banhoek
More info: www.sipsandsights.co.za
Oom Samie se Winkel
Oom Samie Se Winkel is an institution in Stellenbosch and a recommended tourist attraction. Continuing the fine old tradition of the rural trading post. At Oom Samie se Winkel you can find odds & ends, traditional wares & handicrafts, local wines and good quality meat. You can also find locally sourced handcrafted leather goods such as quality leather belts, travel bags, sneakers and more! Indulge in our range of ‘padkos’ snacks and take us with for the drive.
Opening times: Monday to Friday from 09:00 – 17:00, Saturday from 09:00 – 16:00 and Sunday from 09:00 – 13:00
Contact: Tel: 021 887 2372 | Email: oomsamie@kingsleymail.co.za
Where to find it: 84 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch
More info: www.facebook.com/oomsamiesewinkel
Art on wine farms
The Gallery at Cavalli Estate
The gallery at Cavalli (Winner of the regional 2015 Best of Wine Tourism Award for Art and Culture) aims to encourage the local arts through its platforms of a public retail art gallery and public sculpture spaces. Contemporary exhibitions are presented at regular intervals in the 600sq/m main gallery space on the below ground level. Stunning in its unique usage of lighting simulating a skylit ceiling, the space is one of the Winelands best kept secrets. A must visit for any art enthusiast.
Opening times: Open 5 days a week, Wednesday to Sunday from 10h00 – 18h00
Contact: Tel: 021 855 3218 | Email: info@cavalliestate.com
Where to find it: R44 Highway (Strand Road), Somerset West
More info: www.cavalliestate.com
The Art and Gardens at Delaire Graff Estate
A botanical paradise nestled within a dramatic mountain setting, discover acres of tranquil gardens planted to reflect the changing seasons. Spectacularly in bloom every day of the year, the Estate acts as an incredible backdrop for art and sculpture, where Laurence Graff’s personal collection is a carefully curated to showcase South Africa’s finest contemporary artists.
Opening times: Open daily from 09h00 – 19h00
Contact: Tel: 021 885 8160 | Email: info@delaire.co.za
Where to find it: Helshoogte Rd, Stellenbosch
More info: www.delaire.co.za/estate/the-art-gardens
Marvol Gallery at Hazendal Wine Estate
This unique exhibition space within the beauty of the Cape vines offers the latitude for emerging artists, creative collaborations, and a glimpse into the Eastern European culture.
Contemporary artworks rub shoulders with the owners’ extensive private collections and sculptures. Visitors will encounter artworks throughout the farm such as in the Homestead, which boasts Cape Dutch Style influences, and South African Master Artists such as Pierneef, Tretchikoff, and George Pemba, as well as prominent South African sculptors found throughout the gardens such as Angus Taylor, Guy du Toit, and Strijdom Van der Merwe.
Opening times: Tuesday to Friday from 10h00 – 17h00, Saturdays and Sundays from 09h00 – 17h00
Contact: Tel: 021 903 5034 | Email: gallery@hazendal.co.za
Where to find it: Bottelary Road, Stellenbosch
More info: www.hazendal.co.za
Muratie Wine Estate | MOK Gallery
MOK gallery is an abbreviation for modern kontemporêr, the Afrikaans for modern contemporary. Art assists in building cultural bridges, creating a better functioning society. The mission of the gallery is to give artists a platform from where their art can communicate, whether it be social, political, cultural or simply aesthetic. Muratie has centuries of well preserved history and MOK gallery feels very much at home here. The gallery is located in Ansela’s house, dating from 1685. Visitors from all over flock to this beautiful piece of paradise, giving our artists the opportunity to expose their work.
Opening times: Open daily from 10h00 to 17h00
Contact: Tel: 072 553 5547 | Email: cecile@mokgallery.co.za
Where to find it: Muratie Wine Estate, Knorhoek road, Stellenbosch
More info: www.muratie.co.za/visit/lifestyle/
Experience our Living History
Kayamandi on Foot
Stellenbosch Township and Village is a community-wide tourism initiative that welcomes visitors into the hearts and homes of the culture-rich township and villages that surround the beautiful Winelands town of Stellenbosch. Explore, learn and participate in the vibrant day-to-day life of South Africans, through the eyes of resident tour-guides and community members.
Opening times: Tours available from Mondays to Fridays from 09h00 to 13h00. Duration: 2,5 hours
Contact: Tel: 0828568789 | Email: reservations@townshipandvillage.co.za
Where to find it: Amazink, 118A Masithandane Road, Kayamandi, Stellenbosch
More info: www.townshipandvillage.co.za
Incidental free outdoor art
Step outside of the galleries and discover Stellenbosch outdoors art – a wealth of diversity and imagination that colour the historic oak-lined streets. Stellenbosch has earned a reputation as a premier art destination, and its 20 plus spectacular galleries are world-renowned, not to mention the well-curated collections of several wineries.
But the city and its surrounds have themselves become a living exhibition of art. Get your art fix and discover sculptures and installations on street corners, parks and gardens.
Next time you find yourself in the town, keep an eye open for Stellenbosch outdoors art – some are hard to miss while others blend seamlessly into the public spaces.
Click here to see where to spot the free art in the streets of our warmhearted town.
